Al's Outreach Outtakes

Faith Café is one of the ministries that we are involved in at Holy Trinity. Both the church at large as well as the Holy Trinity Filipino community participate in service through Faith Café. Through this ministry, seven churches/organizations rotate responsibility for preparing and servicing a hot meal to anyone who wants it. The meals are served every Sunday at Bethel Community Church (near the Beaverton City Library) starting at 5:00pm. Crowd size varies from 50—100 people. Some attendees are regulars with a few new showing up as well. In addition to the hot meals, other food items are made available for the patrons to take home with them. My wife Cathie and I have volunteered for multiple years and truly enjoy getting to know fellow volunteers as well as those we serve. We always feel as though we get more from it than we give.

At our last Faith Café event I got to talking with a couple who sat at the table we were serving. While some patrons simply come to eat and prefer to not engage, these two were at no loss for words. As we talked I learned that they had been married for 23 years. When I asked what their secret was she said that he made her laugh a lot and that really helped. They admitted that life had been tough, financially. When I commented on some of the food items they had been able to get she quickly began talking about what a great cook he is. He shared that earlier in life he had been a professional cook and still really enjoys it when he can. When I asked if they go to food pantries to get their food they said they do. Because of location (they have no car) they go to St. Cecilia's’ pantry, close to where they live.

As the conversation was winding down, they talked about how fortunate they are. When I asked why they felt that way they said “Because we have a roof over our head and we can come to places like this to eat.” They told me they receive $1,400 per month in Social Security and even though their rent is $1,100, they know they still have it better than many. With a smile on their face, they packed up their food, “Have a great day” they said as they headed out the door.

If you would like more information about Faith Café, please go to the Holy Trinity website Outreach tab and click on the Faith Café link. If you would like to volunteer, please email me and I will connect you with Dana Morano, our Faith Café coordinator.